Protestors demonstrate inside a Center City Starbucks, where two black men were arrested, in PhiladelphiaCredit:
REUTERS/Mark Makela

Mr Johnson gave interviews saying he wanted to “personally apologise” over the arrests and also met the two men to say sorry face-to-face.

He told ABC News: "The circumstances surrounding the incident and the outcome in our store on Thursday were reprehensible... they were wrong."

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson said in a statement: “I’ve spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it.

Starbucks's US stores will close on May 29Credit:
AP Photo/Lisa Poole

“While this is not limited to Starbucks, we’re committed to being a part of the solution. Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities.”